I see your true Courage Shining Through
Courage is often associated with big actions involving integrity, strength, and perseverance. For others, courage represents physical bravery, moral fortitude, or emotional resilience. Courage can also involve finally telling your Caribbean mom – who believes that you are too strong and too accomplished to need therapy – that you have reached out to a therapist for support with your mental health challenges.
Ten examples of courage in action from a mental health perspective:
- Opening up to someone: Sharing your feelings or struggles with a trusted friend, family member, or therapist for the first time.
- Making an appointment: Scheduling and attending a therapy session, even when you’re anxious or unsure of what to expect.
- Setting boundaries: Politely but firmly confronting a person in authority whether through an email, a face-to-face meeting, and tolerating the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies doing something different.
- Acknowledging your feelings: Allowing yourself to sit with emotions like sadness or anger instead of suppressing, eating or avoiding them.
- Practicing self-care: Claiming for yourself time for activities that nurture your well-being, even when it feels “selfish” or unproductive.
- Trying something new: Engaging in a new fun physical activity such as a Zumba class, fencing, or learning the tango.
- Taking a break: Recognizing when you’re overwhelmed and allowing yourself rest, disconnect from social media, or take a spa day without guilt.
- Asking for help: Reaching out to a network for help during moments of crisis or confusion.
- Accepting limitations: Recognizing that it’s okay to not be okay all the time and adjusting expectations; accordingly, and
- Self-Compassion: Acknowledging a misstep with grace, patience, putting aside habitual self-recrimination and self-loathing.
I feel privileged to have a front seat to powerful and consequential acts of courage in action each day in my office. I delight in knowing that these seemingly simple acts have big healing implications for my clients’ general wellbeing. For more information, reach out to me at transculturalclinicalservices.com.
